The Meet
The Fighting Illini men's track and field team heads to West Lafayette, Indiana for the Big Ten Outdoor Championships on May 16-18. The meet begins Friday at 10 a.m. CT with the start of the decathlon followed by the field events beginning at 12:30 p.m. Finals for the pole vault, hammer throw and 10,000m will all be held on Friday. The long jump, high jump and discus finals will take place on Saturday, with running event trials beginning at 3:10 p.m. CT. Running finals are set for Sunday, along with the javelin, shot put and triple jump finals.

The 2014 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be televised tape-delayed by the Big Ten Network on Sunday, May 25 at 5:00 p.m. CT. Heat sheets and results can be found on Purdue's website, PurdueSports.com.

Illinois History at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Illinois has won a total of 28 Big Ten outdoor team titles since the championships started in 1901, ranking second only to Michigan's 31 titles. The last time the Fighting Illini won the outdoor team title was in 1994 under former head coach Gary Wieneke.

At the 2013 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Illinois finished fourth with two individual event titles. Vanier Joseph won his first Big Ten outdoor title in the 110m hurdles, crossing the finish line with a time of 13.70. It's the fourth consecutive year an Illini has won that event. Stephon Pamilton gave the Illini their second individual champion, finishing the 400m in a time of 46.06. The 4x400m relay team of Pamilton, DJ Zahn, Cam Viney and Juan Paul Green crossed the finish line with a time of 3:09.00 to finish second while Cody Klein was the runner-up in the pole vault.

Illini Athletes to Watch
 Vanier Joseph, Hurdles (Sr., Redford, Mich.)Vanier Joseph looks to defend his Big Ten title in the 110m hurdles. Joseph is undefeated in the event this season, and won his second straight Drake Relays title in April. Joseph also won the 110m hurdles at the Illinois Twilight, where he clocked a personal-best time of 13.41, which currently ranks first in the Big Ten and third in the nation.

 Liam Markham, Distance (So., Limerick, Ireland)Liam Markham currently holds the fifth-fastest 1,500m time in the Big Ten, which he set en route to a fourth-place finish at the Bryan Clay Invitational. The sophomore became the first Illini to break into the school's top-10 list since 1996 when he clocked his personal-best time of 3:42.33, the fifth-fastest 1,500m time in school history.

 Joe McAsey, Middle Distance (So., Minooka, Ill.)Joe McAsey is coming off of a first-place finish in the 800m at the Musco Twilight, where he clocked a season-best time and the eighth-fastest time in the Big Ten. The sophomore also won the event in the first meet of the outdoor season, the Lenny Lyles/Clark Wood Invite, and placed third in a loaded field at the Mt. SAC Relays.

 Stephon Pamilton, Sprints (Sr., Jacksonville, Fla.)Stephon Pamilton is a three-time Big Ten Champion in the 400m, and hopes to capture his second straight outdoor title in the event. Pamilton has recorded three top-three finishes in the event this season, including a first-place finish at the Kentucky Relays where he clocked a season-best time of 46.53, the third-fastest time in the Big Ten this season. Pamilton also holds the second-fastest 200m time in the conference, which was set en route to a first-place finish at the Illinois Twilight.

 Brandon Stryganek, Sprints (Jr., Hawthorn Woods, Ill.)Brandon Stryganek recorded two first-place finishes in the 100m, including the Illinois Twilight where he clocked the second-fastest time in the conference. His personal-best time of 10.29 is also the fourth-fastest time in school history. The junior also ranks third in the Big Ten in the 200m after a runner-up performance at the Illinois Twilight. Stryganek ended the regular season with a first-place finish in the event at the Musco Twilight.

 Jannis Toepfer, Distance (Gr., Bochum, Germany)Jannis Toepfer has competed in four different events this season, including the 5,000m. Toepfer won the event at the Tiger Track Classic with a personal-best time of 13:59.17, the eighth-fastest time in the Big Ten and the sixth-fastest time in school history. Toepfer also placed fifth in the 10,000m at the Mt. SAC Relays where he clocked the second fastest time in the Big Ten and the sixth-fastest in school history.

 Cam Viney, Hurdles (So., Elkins, W.V.)Cam Viney has has an impressive season in both the 110m hurdles and the 400m hurdles. In the 400m hurdles, Viney is ranked second in the Big Ten and fifth in the nation after he clocked the fourth-fastest time in school history en route to a third place finish at the Drake Relays. The sophomore has won the event twice this season.

 DJ Zahn, Sprints (Jr., Morton, Ill.)DJ Zahn holds two of the three fastest 400m times on the team this season and currently ranks second in the conference. The junior competed in the event twice this season, placing second at the Tiger Track Classic and winning the Illinois Twilight. Zahn also holds the eighth-fastest 200m time in the conference and placed second in the event at the Kentucky Relays.

 4x100m Relay
The 4x100m relay team of Julian Smith, Brandon Stryganek, Stephon Pamilton and DJ Zahn has placed in the top-three in every meet during the outdoor season, including three first-place finishes. The relay team has consistently improved its time this season and currently holds the fastest time in the Big Ten, which was set en route to a third-place finish at the Drake Relays.

 4x400m Relay
The 4x400m relay squad also holds the fastest time in the conference this season. The team of DJ Zahn, Joe McAsey, Kenneth Allen and Stephon Pamilton clocked the fifth-fastest time in school history to place second at the Drake Relays.